The difficulty of providing information to users within interconnected computer systems is generally known. One or more interconnected computers are typically required whenever the task is too large for a single computer or where specific tasks are handled by different independent systems and the activities of the computers must be coordinated.
Automatic call distributors (ACDs) are an example of such a situation. ACDs are typically used by telemarketers and/or service providers and are typically provided with a host computer that makes and receives calls.
Within the ACD, workforce management, and performance optimization systems (operating within an ACD or otherwise) are examples of the different tasks that may be distributed over a number of hosts. In addition to making and receiving calls, the host of an ACD may also act as a repository of customer records.
In order to reduce telephone costs, telemarketers often locate a number of ACDs of an ACD system near major metropolitan areas. However, during periods of overload calls may be handled through any ACD of the ACD system. As a result, the host or hosts of each ACD must be accessible from any agent station throughout the system.
While the interconnecting of hosts of ACDs works relatively well, the problem of troubleshooting or finding information about call routing is difficult to address. The difficulty often arises because of the need to handle calls in a parallel process. Often the only way of providing information to the user in different databases of the system is to manually access contact routing tables within each different host.
The need to manually access routing tables within different databases is slow and cumbersome. Because of the importance of ACDs and of interconnected computers, a need exists for a better method of providing information to users within such computer system.